Chapter 27: Slow

Although Tomoya had fainted, the negative energy surrounding him only intensified.

At that moment, Eriri seemed to have spotted something terrifying. She clung tightly to Ryuji's arm, lowering her head as she shakily pointed ahead.

"There… there!"

Utaha also saw it. Though she was braver than Eriri, at the end of the day, she was still just a teenage girl. Just like Eriri, she latched tightly onto Ryuji's other arm.

This sight left Megumi, standing behind them, at a loss for words.

She wanted to cling to him too, but there didn't seem to be any room left.

Ryuji followed their gazes.

In the dark space that had previously been empty, the figure of a girl was slowly materializing.

Half of the girl's face was strikingly beautiful, while the other half was a ghastly skeleton.

It was clear this was the strange skeletal woman who had been feeding off Tomoya's energy.

"Die!"

The skeleton woman was visibly displeased. After all, Tomoya was her prey. Having her meal interrupted naturally left her in a foul mood. She was preparing to attack Ryuji and the others.

"Is her ability related to ice?" Ryuji muttered, noticing the subtle layer of frost forming on the nearby furniture as the skeletal woman's anger surged. The temperature in the room dropped even further.

"Interesting ability, but…"

"It's useless!"

Without wasting another word, Ryuji activated his ability. The space behind him twisted, and several chains suddenly emerged, instantly binding the enraged skeleton woman.

Skeleton Woman: ???

The anger in her expression vanished, replaced by confusion the moment she was restrained by the chains.

"Wait...!"

The skeleton girl seemed to realize something was wrong and tried to speak.

But in the next second, the chains tightened, and before she could put up any resistance, her figure was completely swallowed by the void.

"Hm?"

Even though Ryuji had successfully absorbed her, something still felt off.

"Is that… it?"

"Amazing!" the girls exclaimed, astonished.

Since they didn't possess Ryuji's Yin-Yang Eyes, they couldn't see the chains he had summoned. However, they could see the skeletal girl's sudden restraint and disappearance. The whole ordeal felt like it ended way too quickly.

"What's wrong?" Utaha asked, noticing Ryuji's slightly puzzled expression. Both girls were still a little on edge.

"Nothing," Ryuji replied, shaking his head. "That wasn't the real Skeleton Woman. This seems to be just a clone."

That explained why she was so weak. He hadn't felt much from absorbing her either.

The real Skeleton Woman was probably the one who had appeared earlier. These clones were likely manifestations that targeted anyone who came into contact with the woman's keepsake.

"Just a clone?" Utaha echoed.

"Don't worry," Ryuji reassured them. "Now that her clone's been dealt with, you're safe. As long as you don't run into another of her tokens, you'll be fine."

"I see," Utaha and Eriri breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Ryuji then raised an eyebrow, noticing they were still clinging to him.

"So… can you let go of me now?"

"!!"

Realizing they were still holding onto him, both girls quickly released him, their faces turning a shade of red.

Eriri's eyes darted nervously, and she stammered, "I-I just… Anyway, it's not like I like you or anything! Don't get the wrong idea!"

Ryuji wasn't surprised by her tsundere outburst. He didn't react much, already accustomed to this kind of behavior. While being tsundere might come across as cute in anime, in real life, it was honestly exhausting.

"Well then, consider this a reward for helping me, junior," Utaha said with a wink, much bolder than Eriri.

But Ryuji wasn't fooled. He knew Utaha well enough to see through her facade. She liked to act brave and tease, but when it came down to it, she wasn't much better than Eriri.

She was, after all, the queen of talking big but acting small.

"Wait, look! Something's happening to Tomoya!" Megumi suddenly pointed out, breaking the awkwardness.

Everyone's attention shifted to the unconscious Tomoya. As the skeleton woman disappeared, the temperature in the room began to rise, but something strange was happening to him.

His hair, once black, was gradually turning gray. His skin was aging rapidly, becoming wrinkled and covered in age spots. His vitality was slipping away right before their eyes.

"What's happening to him?" Eriri gasped, her face paling in shock.

Instinctively, the girls looked to Ryuji for answers. In the face of such a supernatural event, he was the only one who could explain what was going on.

"It's perfectly normal," Ryuji said calmly, having expected this.

"I mentioned earlier that even if we saved him, there was no way to restore the energy that had been drained by the Skeleton Woman. While she was still here, she was holding it in place. But now that she's gone, the energy has dissipated, and his body is reacting accordingly."

"So… he's aging because of that?" Utaha asked, still trying to process the scene in front of her.

"Yes. Without his energy, his body is rapidly deteriorating."

"This is…" The girls didn't know what to say.

"There seems to be something on him, "Megumi remarked, her tone as calm as ever. Unlike the others, she wasn't too sentimental about Tomoya's condition. After all, she wasn't particularly close to him.

Ryuji, noticing the same thing, bent down and retrieved something from Aki Tomoya's pocket.

It was a disc.

"What is this?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow, noticing the distinctively colorful pattern and revealing bodies on the disc.

With that kind of design, anyone could immediately guess what kind of content was on it.

"Hentai!" Utaha muttered under her breath.

"H!"

Eriri was less restrained and yelled it out loud.

"Want to take a look?" Megumi asked innocently, her curiosity piqued by Ryuji's expression.

"…"

Ryuji stayed silent for a moment, realizing that when Megumi decided to be sarcastic, she could be just as sharp-tongued as Utaha.

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